The space mission of Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams’ scheduled launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft was abruptly called off just minutes before liftoff. The launch that was scheduled to take place from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center using the Atlas V rocket, was halted just three minutes and fifty-one seconds before liftoff.
This marks the second scrubbed attempt for the Boeing Starliner spaceship, following a previous postponement on May 7 due to technical issues. Following the postponement that had taken place on May 7, NASA had released a statement saying, “Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and NASA scrubbed the previous launch opportunity on May 7 [India time] due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. Since then, teams have removed and replaced the valve, and completed an assessment of Starliner’s performance and redundancy after discovering a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.”
Despite the disappointment of the delay, both astronauts and the rocket itself remain safe. The decision to abort the launch was prompted by a technical glitch detected by the ground launch sequencer, responsible for monitoring the rocket’s health.
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NASA officials announced that a new liftoff attempt would be scheduled within the next 24 hours, although a specific launch time has yet to be determined. In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore will exit the Starliner capsule and return to their crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center.
This mission was significant for Williams, having spent a total of 322 days in space and achieved a world record for the maximum number of hours of spacewalk by a woman. Her previous missions include a groundbreaking space voyage from December 9, 2006, to June 22, 2007, during which she conducted four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
While Williams acknowledged feeling a bit nervous about the mission, she expressed confidence in the Starliner spacecraft, which she helped design in collaboration with engineers from NASA and Boeing.”When I reach the International Space Station, it will be like going back home,” she remarked.
